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I was lucky enough to be given a demo RX450h Premier as a courtesy car for two days last week, whilst my trusted RX was in for its MOT. I loved.... - the looks... although I wish the front end was a little more different from the NX. Unfortunately, it seems a common trend that all models within the same brand look very (too?) similar: Jag XE and XF are a prime example of this - the build quality, internal design and colour scheme (this car had cream leather with cream/chocolate brown dash and doors) - the noise insulation: I thought my 2009 RX450h was quiet, but the new model takes "quiet" to another level - the performance... not dissimilar from the previous model, but with the car being so quiet you seem to reach high speeds with very little drama and you keep having to check the speedo (HUD very handy!) - the supreme comfort... although I found the seat base a bit flat and lacking in support. This may change over time - the (adjustable) Head Up Display - just brilliant - the huge screen and its clarity - the fuel economy: I achieved 35mpg, whilst my own car barely manages 30mpg on the same journey - the clarity and power of the sound system - the all-round camera - the adaptive cruise control - the excellent LED headlights Not sure about... - the seats were very comfortable, but I felt I was sitting "on" them, rather than "in" them. I suspect that they would give over time. I also suspect that the ventilation and heating system may contribute to the firmness - the large screen emphasizes the old fashioned satnav graphics - voice control has not evolved and is still useless - the rear door (hatch / boot) is slow... sooo slow to go up and down... and noisy - sound system is very clear but sounds... flat and soul-less. Some tweaking of the settings is required - good parking camera... but no self-parking? you get this on a Focus or a Golf these days for not a lot of money Would I buy one? - Yes because of the design in and out, the image, the quality, the running costs, the gadgets and the proven reliability and after care of the Lexus brand - No because of the missed opportunities, the - still - outdated satnav, the - still - cumbersome rear door, some lack in equipment (climate controls in the back for instance...) Overall, yes I would definitely buy one. Even if the car is not perfect (is there such a thing), the overall Lexus ownership experience does it for me.

If anyone has lost an RX300 registration number YH55HMJ it is buried under a muddy field somewhere in Scotland!!! Just in case you are worried it was in an episode of "One of Us", the BBC drama currently on Tuesday nights. JBP

Hi Guys, So after some soul searching and failing to find any serious buyers for my car, I have decided to hold on to it for now. I've actually just placed an order for some PPE headers which I will be collecting from RR-Racing in late October. Also planning to have a good look around their premises, and even beg for a ride in their supercharged demo shop car. After that I will be looking to add the performance intake and tune (will be taking my ECU with me as well so Rafi and Simon can at least bench read it to make sure they can email me a suitable map to load via their OBD II hand controller). I am also pleased to tell you guys the article for Banzai is going to be appearing very soon. They reckon it will probably be featured in the October issue which will be out for purchase in mid-September. I've been fortunate enough to see a mock up of the article already, and I liked what I saw. Should hopefully shine some much needed light on these very underrated cars. Just thought I would share with you guys what was going on with me/the car. I will also be in LA at the beginning of October on business, so hoping to bring back my PPE mid-pipes with hi-flow race cat's and my one piece carbon trunk panel (the entire piece that runs below the rear lights, around the number plate etc. I'll be looking to take the car to Japshow Finale at Santa Pod in early October as well. Do drop by the Kleers stand if you attend the show to say hi. Be nice to meet a few new faces (and any old ones obviously!). Cheers for now. Peter

All the lighting apart from the main beam, fog, and front side lights are already LED's. Dip beam is HID D4S.

Yes Andy, the dealers are always helpful in these sort of cases. My local dealer helped me with the navigation operations

Buy cheap, buy twice (ask me how I know!) - I buy Bosh wipers 'aero' style and replace every couple of years. The RX with Auto-wipers enabled is quite hard on the blades! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

My seats have a controller, you set the temp with a small knob then they come on and off depending on the setting.

It should have full European cover. Map updates cost more than a brand new TomTom. Welcome to the group.

Sometimes if you fart the fans help disperse it quicker. Carl

HI Peter, glad you are hanging onto the F, for a while at least, and look forward to checking out the article in Banzai. Managed to be on holiday for both the Bluewater meets since I joined the club, so hopefully will still now get the opportunity to see the car in the flesh at some point. I'm sure you'll also be pleased to hear that I'm now seriously considering getting the RR-Racing USRS given all the very positive feedback - my 1st mod!! I look forward to hearing about your visit to RR-Racing and on your progress with the headers etc.

Hey Gary, So how's this for a small world... Had a phone call last week from a guy who was interested in buying my IS-F, but couldn't do anything at the moment due to having an extension built. I explained my car was no longer for sale (just ordered PPE headers!), but had no issue with him calling me again once he had his finances sorted out to see if I could be convinced to part with it. Anyway, guy explained to me he was really interested in buying an IS-F, and asked if I knew about the Police car version that was on the roads a few years ago. I of course said I knew about that car to which he told me he was one of the main mechanics that worked for the Police, and that was the car he looked after! Sorry for the long winded story, but thought you'd be interested to know that was the car that made him want to buy one for himself. Cheers. Pete

Took the ISF to work today (as the daily drive is sick). On the way home I spotted........... ANOTHER ISF!!!! I pulled up alongside, beeped the horn.............but nothing :( Probably never happen again :(

Yes: While the car was in for its MOT late last week, I asked the dealer to look into it and they did some research internally. They have put forward a warranty claim and which is now waiting for approval. I should know more later in the week.

When I bought my LS I was told that you can override the need for the code, I am not sure if this is the info that you need but it might be worth a try. I have not tried this myself, it came on a seperate piece of paper in my Sat Nav and Stereo instruction book. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position (combination meter warning lights illuminated) While pressing CLIMATE and AUDIO switches simultaneously, turn the HEADLIGHT CONTROL SWITCH in the following sequence: OFF~SIDE LIGHTS~OFF~SIDE LIGHTS~OFF~SIDE LIGHTS The SYSTEM CHECK will become displayed on the screen. It will take approx. 30 seconds for the check to be completed - the display will change from CHECKING to OK Once all the function checks display OK then press MENU. The DIAGMENU will be displayed Starting with the AUDIO button, follow the sequence: AUDIO~DESTINATION~AUDIO~DESTINATION~AUDIO~DESTINATION The SECURITY menu will be displayed. Using the numeric keys enter 440215. Press ENTER The displaywill return to the DIAGMENU. Switch the IGNITION SWITCH to the OFF position. The security code is now cleared - the unit will operate normally. PLease ensure that a new security code is re-entered with the customers knowledge. As I said before I have no idea if this will work, maybe you can let us know how you get on... Redsteve.